Ticket printing and issuing machine



Dec. 18, 1951 v H, FORD 2,579,254

TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Filed Aug. 11, l949 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor y 6644144 1 VX 1 2 Attorney Dec. 18, 1951 H. F. FORD 2,579,254

TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Filed Aug. 11, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor MQWQM 32M YVM A Home y Dec. 18, 195] H. F. FORD TICKET PRINTING AND xssume MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 11, 1949 In n or MJ/kiljuk/inl BYWYW Attorney Patented Dec. 18, 1951 TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Harold Francis Ford, Cirencester, England, assignor to T. I. M. (Ticket-Issue Machines) Limited, Cirencester, England, a British company Application August 11, 1949, Serial No. 109,687 7 I In Great Britain September 23, 1947 1 Claim.

This invention relates to portable ticket printing and issuing machines of the kind used, for example, on passenger vehicles to print indications such as the value, class, stage and serial number on a strip of paper drawn from a supply roll within the machine to form a ticket which is ejected after printing, separated from the strip, and handed to the passenger. Examples of machines to which the present invention is applicable are shown and described in UnitedStates Patents Nos. 1,920,085 and 2,137,915. In practice the matter printed by these machines has to be varied to suit particular local requirements and in certain instances the range of printed data is less than in others.

The object of the present invention is to provide an attachment applicable to machines of the general character described in the preceding paragraph which is designed to enable the manufacturer of a standard type of machine to introduce variations in the range of printed data as and where required and without entailing structural modifications in the general lay-out of the machine. r I

According to the invention an attachment is provided for application to a ticket printing and issuing machine of the kind above described said attachment including an adjusting and indicating device applicable to the exterior of the machine and adapted to be brought into and out of operative relationship with a printing die mounted in a rotary printing element andarranged to transmit movement to counting or recording mechanism under certain conditions and in pre-defined positions.

According to one form of the invention means for adjusting a printing die in a ticket printing and issuing machine comprise a hand operated element, means preventing rotational movement of said element until axial travel under hand operation has been completed, clutch elements for transmitting rotational adjustment to a printing die, and rotational means for preventing any movement of the hand operated element during the printing operation.

' Reference will now be made to the accompanying' drawings which show an arrangement con: structed according to the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a class indication adjustment device applied to a ticket printing and issuing machine,

Fig. 2 is a plan of the device shown in Fig. 1,

and V I Figs. 3, 4 and ,5 are cross-sectional views taken respectively on the lines AB,- C-D, and E-F f -v. In thev construction illustratedaand referring first to Figs. 1 and. 2, the device comprises a twigs -aana i9. de ree of mer r 2 of a ticket printing and issuing machine and containing setting and indicating components whose movement is transmitted to a second component disposed within the casing 2 and forming part of a rotary printing element indicated at 3.

The housing I is cylindrical and is formed with a flange 4 at one end to provide a means of attachment to the casing 2. In the open outer end of the housing is disposed a knob 5 fixed on a spindle 6 mounted in a bearing 1 within the housing and having mounted thereon a drum 8 bearing on its surface class indications to cover workmens, childs, return, or other kinds of tickets, the indications being, for convenience, initial letters, one of which is visible at a time through a window 9 provided in the wall of the housing I. The drum 8 is mounted so as to rotate with the spindle which, however, can move axially through the drum. The inner end of the spindle 6 carries a perforated disc N] (Fig. 3) one of whose perforations normally engages over a pin l I fixed in the housing which prevents rotation of the spindle B and drum 8 but permits axial movement thereof by pressure applied to the knob 5 against the resistance of a spring l2 surrounding the spindle 6, such movement being limited by a flange 53 on the knob abutting against the outer end of the housing in which position the disc 10 is free from the pin H so that the knob, spindle, drum and disc can then be rotationally adjusted.

The inner end of the spindle 6 carries a stem I 4 projecting into the interior of the casing 2 and carrying a clutch component 15 adapted to engage a second clutch component 16 mounted on a spindle ll carried in brackets l8 forming fixed parts of the framework of the printing element 3. The spindle I1 is movable axially against the action of a spring I9 disposed between the clutch component it and one of the brackets !8. The spindle I! also carries between the brackets a rotatably adjustable printing die 20 (Fig. 4) bearing letters or symbols corresponding to those on the indicating drum 8 and ar;

ranged to cooperate in printing with non-adjustable dies formed on outwardly turned portionsi l of the brackets It. The printing die 20 is normally locked against rotational adjustment .by a pin 22 on the spindle ll engaging one of a series of recesses 23 formed in a disc 24 fixed toor formed integral with one of the brackets l 8.

To ensure that adjusting movement of the die 20 can take place only when the machine is in the rest or inoperative position, an annulus 25 (Fig. 3) is fixed to the frame members 26 of the printing element 3 and has a partially circular recessZI in its periphery through whichthe disc l0 can pass when the knob 5 is pressedinwardly. As the printing element, rotates,,: the

to the spindle I1, this disc being formed with a flat surface or with flat surfaces 29, according to the classes of tickets which "require special recording. The periphery of the disc 2B 'bear's upon an arm 30 pivoted on a rod 3| carried by the brackets 18, the arm being pressed by-a spring .32 in a direction to cause its end 33 to engage and operate the ratchet wheel 34 of a counting mechanism as the printing element 3 is rotated er -outlaws shaft 35.

'il he operation er the arrangement above dosdi 'hed is as follows:

- To adjust the position of the die '23, the knob 5 is pus'hed inwards of the housing I moving the spindle 6 through the drum 8 until the disc 18 is free of thepin-H. The knob is'then partially atel its rotational movement being commu- "ated to the spindle and drum 8 until the i dication red-ui'red appear-s beneath the wineat 9. The-inward rnovement of the knob havingcausd the-clutch elements l5 and $6 toenease, the rotational adjustment is transmitted to the die zil. 'When pressure on the knob 5 is thereafter relaxed, the knob andthe disc l-Q are restored by the action of the spring I? to the positions shown "in Fig. l and the clutch elets lt and F6 are disengaged. The class printing {die 'h'aviirg 'beeii' s'et andany other necessary adjustments to the printing dies having beenmad'e, the printing element-'3 is rotated and dining it's rotation the counting device may be operated. As long as the circular portion of the periphery of the disc -28 is in contact with the arm 311, the arm is h'eid inoperative, but rotational a'djustrnent which brings one of the flats 29 on thediso into contact with the arm allows the spring 3-2 '-'t'o move the free end of the arm slightly further away from the axis of rotation of the printing element 3 and into a position to operate the wheel 35 of thecounter.

"The arrangement above described has been particularly designed for application to existing machines such, for example, as that described inprion-Specifioation No. 1,926,085 or No. 2,137,- 91%5; such application enabling a machine to print some additional data or an additional value to meet a special requirement "without altering the structure of "the machine other than by forming an aperture in the casing through which the spindle of the adjusting component can project.

The improvement according to the invention enables a machine to be easily given an added range of values by including an additional value printingat each operation while another "advantage lies in the use of the adjusting device to adapmne machine to indications or abbreviationin'a foreign language.

In combihationwith 'aticke't printing and issningmachine having a waned casing with a printing 'r'nechanism therein including a rotatable printing element and v actuatable parts for operating the "printingelement atdesired intervals {with the printing element in-a predeterinine'd position er rest Whe'n not operation, "a

4 rotatable printing element, a spindle rotatably and endwise movably mounted on said brackets on an axis parallel with the axis of rotation of the printing element, a'printi'ng die having optional printing faces around its periphery carried on and rotatable by said spindle between thespaced apart printing portions and having the spindle endwise axially movable therethrough, a clutch part on an end of the spindle adjacent'to' a wallof the casing, a spring nor- 'mally resflie'ntly holding said spindle with the clutch end extended, locking means operative when the spindle is thus extended to hold the printing die with a desired printing face in printing position, said casing having an opening through a wall thereof adjacent to and axially aligned the "clutch end of the'spiiidle when the rotatable printing element is "in a position of rest, a cylindrical housing secured to the easin'g'an'd extending oiitw'a'rdly around the opening a setting spindleendwise movably and rotatably i'nounted in the cylindrical housing and thus axially aligned with the -'die carrying spindie when the printir'i'g element is in the position of rest, a settingknob fixed On the outer end of the setting spindle, a mating clutch part on the inner end of said "setting spindle, a spring normally endwi's'e resiliently retracting said setting spindle to an outwardly extended relation with the mating clutch in a declutched position and yet allowing inward endwise movement to engage said mating clutch with the clutch of the die carrying spindle, *said setting spindle carrying indicating mark ings corresponding to "the characters "of the "printing die, a perforated disc fixed on the "inner end of the setting spindle having perforations thereofregister'mg with the setting markings, an annulus carried by the rotat'able printing element adjacent to the "per forated disc with its peripheral edge overlying and stopping inward movement of the setting spindle saidannulus having a recess at one pointfirr'the peripheral edge thereof substantially aligned ax-iaily with the die carrying spindle thereby clearing the perforated 'disc "for manual inward movement of the setting spindle to allow engagement of the clutches when the printing element is in the position of "rest, and'a pin extending "from said housing received in a perforation of "the disc holding said "setting spindle against rotation until'th'e setting spindie moved *endwis'e inwardly to engage the clutch parts and move the die carrying spindle endwise to "release the "locking means thereof with the"pin entering a perforation "of 'the disc and thus locking the setting spindle against rotation prior to subsequent disengagement of the'clutch parts, and said spring then returning "the'settingspindl'e endwis'e outwardly to a declutched position jan'd with the perforated disc withdrawn outwardly through "the recess of the {annulus to clearthe printing element for rotaion.

FRANCIS FORD.

REFERENCES CITED '"Tlie'follovvlhg references are of "record in the file. of this patent: 

